Latest news with #RichardWagner
Times
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
The Times Daily Quiz: Wednesday June 18, 2025
1 Which savoury meat pudding is Scotland's national dish? 2 In court, a circuit judge should normally be addressed as 'Your …' what? 3 The Runnymede Trust is named after the field where which document was sealed in 1215? 4 Victoria Land and Oates Land are regions of which southern continent? 5 Who was famously attacked by Rod Hull and Emu on a November 1976 episode of his chat show? 6 Suitable for small gardens, what is a Qualcast Panther 30? 7 Sylvia Plath described Queen Mary's Gardens in which London park as a 'wonderland'? 8 Every year, eels leave European rivers to breed in which sea in the North Atlantic? 9 Which Canadian singer-songwriter's 1968 debut album Song to a Seagull was produced by David Crosby? 10 Klingsor is an evil sorcerer in which opera by Richard Wagner? 11 In which Asian country did the Tony award-winning musical Maybe Happy Ending have its premiere in 2016? 12 Which Unesco World Heritage site is home to Britain's smallest royal palace? 13 The critic Rosamond Bernier co-founded which Paris-based art magazine in 1955? 14 Monobob is an individual version of which winter sport? 15 Which former Labour MP is pictured? Scroll down for answersAnswers1 Haggis 2 Honour 3 Magna Carta 4 Antarctica 5 Michael Parkinson 6 Lawnmower 7 Regent's Park 8 Sargasso Sea 9 Joni Mitchell 10 Parsifal 11 South Korea 12 Kew Gardens, as in Kew Palace 13 L'oeil 14 Bobsleigh 15 Andy Burnham
National Geographic
21-06-2025
- National Geographic
7 of the best things to do on the Amalfi Coast
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). A landscape of extreme verticality, where gelato-hued houses and terraced gardens cling to sea-facing cliffs, this strip of Southern Italy is justly famed for its beauty. Long a source of inspiration for writers and artists — from 19th-century composer Richard Wagner to Patricia Highsmith, who set her novel The Talented Mr Ripley here — the entire area is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ravello, Amalfi and Positano are its most celebrated towns, and stretching between the latter two is the 30-mile strada statale 163 Amalfitana (SS163), which curves precipitously past an endless series of captivating vistas. It's best to visit off-peak to avoid traffic jams — and overcrowding more generally. April or May is the time to catch spring flowers, while October benefits from warmer seas and seasonal mushrooms on restaurant menus. 1. Wander clifftop gardens in Ravello Sitting high on the hillside, with no port or beach, Ravello is the least visited of the Amalfi Coast's triumvirate of famous towns — and all the nicer for it. Villa Rufolo hosts an annual classical music festival, but is worth visiting year-round. Spend time admiring the property's hand-painted tiles and Murano glass chandeliers before climbing the 13th-century tower for sweeping views over its cascade of ornamental flowerbeds. The gardens of Villa Cimbrone, a 10-minute walk away along steep, cobbled lanes, are even more impressive. With pockets of lush planting, tree-lined avenues and wisteria-laden pergolas spread across 14.8 acres, their beauty reaches a pinnacle at the ethereal Infinity Terrace, where classical statues peer out over the Mediterranean. Vila Rufolo in Ravello is one of the Amalfi Coast's most recognisable sights. Photograph by ezypix; Getty Images 2. Explore by boat Some of the area's best views are to be found out on the water — and travelling the Amalfi Coast using its extensive ferry network is often the quickest option, too, allowing you to circumvent congestion on its one coastal road. The towns of Amalfi and Positano have frequent boat services, as do Sorrento and Salerno, but there are also myriad connections between smaller destinations — use Ferryhopper to check timetables and prebook tickets. The comparatively under-the-radar town of Cetara is well worth exploring, as is Maiori, home to the region's longest beach. Campania's ceramics capital, Vietri sul Mare, is the best place to pick up artisanal souvenirs — everything from hand-painted decorative tiles to plant pots shaped like human heads. 3. Find peace in Amalfi's cathedral The architecture in Amalfi town is a striking reminder of its past glory — between the ninth and 12th centuries, this was the heart of a maritime republic to rival Venice. Today its narrow streets throng with visitors from April to October — but pay €3 (£2.50) for a ticket to enter the Cattedrale di Sant'Andrea, and you'll discover an altogether quieter atmosphere. Begin at the aptly named Paradise Cloister, where pointed archways surround a courtyard garden filled with lofty palms, before descending to gaze at the ornately patterned columns and muralled ceilings of the crypt. Don't bother with a sit-down lunch afterwards — instead, pick up a paper cone of deep-fried calamari or courgette flowers from street food outlet Cuoppo d'Amalfi. The medieval Cattedrale di Sant'Andrea stands at the heart of Amalfi. Photograph by Malcolm P Chapman; Getty Images 4. Walk the Path of the Gods Surely one of Italy's most scenic day hikes, Il Sentiero degli dei unfolds 2,070ft above sea level, offering the kind of views Icarus must've enjoyed right before the sun melted his wings. Begin in Positano and it's a 1,700-step climb to Nocelle and your first reward: a lemon granita, accompanied by the sight of awesome tufo stone bluffs descending to the sparkling waters of the Tyrrhenian. The path — around four miles long — then meanders through shady woodlands and sunny lemon orchards before reaching the village of Agerola, where a ceramic plaque records D H Lawrence's poetic precis of the route. Completing it takes between three and five hours, depending on pace and which way you choose tackle the path. 5. Discover an underground archaeological site The classic postcard image of Positano features the colourfully tiled dome of Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta but few realise that, beneath the church, lies a hidden Roman villa. Buried in volcanic matter during the CE 79 eruption of Vesuvius that also submerged Pompeii, this grand private residence was rediscovered two millennia later and finally opened to the public in 2018. Access is via a small group tour; book onto the last slot of the day and you may have its extraordinarily well-preserved frescoes — featuring real and fantastical beasts, plus scenes from classical mythology — largely to yourself. Also eerily fascinating is an adjacent 18th-century burial chamber, once used for the mummification of members of the local social elite. 6. Shop and sunbathe in Sorrento Although strictly speaking not on the Amalfi Coast but the Sorrentine Peninsula, the latter's namesake resort makes for a delightful day trip, possessing a scale and sense of space that the area's smaller towns lack. Begin with a stroll along Corso Italia, a tree-lined and pedestrianised shopping street, before settling in for a pasta lunch of gnocchi alla sorrentina at L'Abate, a restaurant well placed for people-watching on Piazza Sant'Antonino. You'll need a lie-down after this, so pay €1.20 (£1) for a ticket to board the elevator down to the strip of sand at Marina Grande, where beach clubs like Bagni Sant'Anna rent out deckchairs and parasols for sunbathing on the pier. Charming Villa Treville in Positano is set among spectacular gardens that look out to the Tyrrhenian Sea. Photograph by Umberto D'Aniello (Top) (Left) and Photograph by Umberto D'Aniello (Bottom) (Right) 7. Stay at the former home of a cinematic legend Film director Franco Zeffirelli's guests at Villa Treville included Liza Minnelli and Elizabeth Taylor, and those staying at this serene, sea-facing property (now a hotel) today will no doubt feel they've ascended to the A-list. Guests are collected from the ferry dock at Positano by private boat — also available for trips to nearby islands like Ischia and Capri – before checking into one of 16 spacious suites. The property's look — epitomised by the Ripley-esque bathing deck and art- and sculpture-filled social spaces — is one of restrained theatricality, while service is informal but attentive. The charming mixologist at white-tiled Bianca Bar serves crisp, citrussy martinis, while terrace restaurant Maestro's is made for languorous al fresco meals, its lantern-dotted tables setting the scene for Romeo and Juliet-level romance. The Amalfi Coast is served by two airports — Salerno's is closest, but a wider range of carriers fly from the UK to Naples. From here it's a 1h40 minute bus ride to the gateway town of Sorrento. Travel onwards by ferry to Positano (40 minutes) or Amalfi (1h30). Stay at Villa Treville, from €747 (£636), room only. This story was created with the support of Villa Treville. To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
CTV News
19-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Federal Court of Appeal overturns decision requiring action on judicial vacancies
The Calgary Courts Centre pictured in Calgary, Monday, May 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh OTTAWA — A panel of judges has overturned a Federal Court ruling that directed the federal government to step up the pace of judicial appointments to address an 'untenable' number of vacancies. The Federal Court of Appeal allowed the federal appeal of the ruling, saying the lower court lacked jurisdiction to hear the case. In a February 2024 ruling, Federal Court Justice Henry Brown said constitutional convention requires Ottawa to appoint a new judge to fill a vacancy within a reasonable time. The government asked the Federal Court of Appeal to set aside the judgment and dismiss the underlying application brought by lawyer Yavar Hameed. In his application, Hameed said he had experienced significant delays in litigation proceedings on behalf of vulnerable clients. Among the material filed in the initial case was a May 2023 letter to then-prime minister Justin Trudeau from Chief Justice Richard Wagner, chair of the Canadian Judicial Council, expressing 'deep concern' about the 85 judicial vacancies on superior and federal courts. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025. Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press
National Post
14-06-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Yuan Yi Zhu: Canada's tasteless, attention-seeking, unproductive chief justice
On Wednesday, Richard Wagner, the chief justice of Canada, gave his annual press conference, intending to talk at length about his manifold achievements throughout the year. But he became visibly uncomfortable when National Post reporter Christopher Nardi asked him why the Supreme Court refuses disclose the identity of the donor of a bust of Wagner that is on display in the lobby of the Supreme Court. Article content Article content The head of what is supposedly 'one of the world's most transparent and accessible apex courts' said that he had no idea who paid for the bust, and claimed that it was put on public display before his retirement at the artist's request (the sculptor has denied this). Article content Article content Article content When pressed on his non-answer, he began to ramble about the pens and ties he's received as token gifts from foreign judges, instead of his bust, which cost around $18,000. Pressed again, he denied even knowing whether the bust was a gift or not. 'I don't know who paid for that, so how can there be a conflict of interest?' he finally said with a contemptuous shrug, his customary bonhomie having all but vanished. Article content Wagner's evident discomfort at the question is understandable. Putting aside the obvious conflicts of interest and ethical problems involved, it is both unprecedented and deeply vulgar for a sitting Canadian judge to have a sculpture of himself in his court's lobby, a decision he must have personally endorsed, and which, as far as I know, has no parallel in any other court in the common law world. Article content Article content Nor is the bust the only instance of the chief justice's seemingly insatiable appetite for personal publicity. Until recently, next to the bust in the lobby was a display featuring documents and photos of his time as administrator of the Government of Canada (the chief justice stands in when there is no governor general), a non-job that Wagner appears determined to publicly memorialize. And visitors to the court's new website are welcomed with a large picture of Wagner, almost three times as big as the one on the old website. Article content
National Post
13-06-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Chris Selley: Our supreme court's chief justice is a busted flush. What will we do about it?
'I don't know who paid for that, so how can there be a conflict of interest?' That hall-of-fame, mic-drop Canadian quote, delivered to National Post's Christopher Nardi this week, came from no less an authority than the chief justice of the Supreme Court, Richard Wagner. Article content Article content The thing Wagner supposedly doesn't know who paid for is a hideous bronze bust of himself that sits in the entrance hall of the Supreme Court building, where it breaks at least two longstanding traditions: one, that only former chief justices get publicly busted; and two, that the busts indicate their provenance. Article content Article content Let us pause here to consider the proposition Canada's most senior jurist has placed before us, in public, as if he thought he was defending himself effectively. Article content Article content We are to believe he just showed up to work one morning to find himself immortalized in bronze in the lobby of his office, and not only did he not know where this bronze bust came from, but at no point in the many months since it showed up has he bothered to inquire where it came from. Article content 'The Chief Justice's bust was donated to the Court by a donor who specifically asked to remain anonymous. For this reason, the plaque bears no mention of the donor. We have no information on the cost of the bust,' the Supreme Court's executive legal officer Stéphanie Bachand told National Post last year. 'Neither the Chief Justice nor the court's administration know about the donor's identity.' Article content If you believe that — and far be it from me to suggest you should doubt the word of a fine, upstanding, Jesuit-educated judge such as Wagner — then isn't that a bit of a problem in itself? Canada's decider-in-chief wasn't even a bit curious? Can anyone just donate a grotesque likeness of a Supreme Court justice, FedEx it to the Supreme Court, and expect it to be prominently on display when they show up a week later? Article content Article content It's not as though Wagner doesn't take ownership of the court's other general affairs. At the same press conference Wednesday where he disavowed any knowledge of how the unexpected statuary arrived, he updated reporters on the renovation schedule for the Supreme Court building, and confirmed the court would be hearing cases in Halifax in 2027. He also wants new robes for the justices, because that was definitely the squeaky wheel that needed greasing. Article content
